Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long on May 29 warned about difficulties ahead in Vietnam’s ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic following the detection of a new mutated strain of the virus.
A new coronavirus strain, a mix of both UK and Indian variants, has been found in Vietnam. (Illustrative image)
“We have found a new strain of COVID-19, a mix of the variants first identified in the UK and India,” Minister Long told a national conference held to discuss matters relating to COVID-19 prevention and control in Hanoi.
“This means there has been a mutation of the UK strain on the Indian strain, which is very dangerous,” he said, adding that the Ministry of Health would swiftly announce the new strain on the world gene map.
According to the Minister, the new variant is able to spread rapidly in the air, especially in narrow spaces without ventilation. In addition, the time for eliminating the pathogen is extremely short and is only possible for one or two days.
“Patients who show severe symptoms and require intensive treatment at a grassroots-level must be raised to a new level,” stressed the Minister.
This marks the eighth mutated COVID-19 strain detected in Vietnam.
Vietnam has been battling its fourth COVID-19 wave, with over 3,600 cases confirmed across 34 cities and provinces nationwide following the emergence of the virus in late April.
Recent genome sequencing results indicate that many of the newly detected patients had either carried the UK variant B.1.1.7 or the Indian variant B.1.617.2. Both variants are believed to be highly transmissible in comparison to previously known types.